join me on the path

calling all gardeners

The magazine I work for, Horticulture, and Project EverGreen are teaming up for an exciting project here in the Greater Cincinnati area. Think Extreme Makeover for a community garden, either an existing one or a location that could benefit from the creation of one.

We're taking nominations NOW for the garden site; the fun begins in May! If you know of a school garden, community center that has (or could use) a community garden, or even a commercial district that could benefit from a green-driven boost, tell me about it.

And don't forget ... hope springs eternal and before we know it we'll be able to get out there in our Wellies and play in the dirt!

Peace and love 

poetry hath charms ...

Thanks to a work-related project yesterday, I pulled out some of my favorite books of poetry and was reminded yet again of the soothing power of words strung together and called a poem. This morning my dining room table is piled high with books of poetry: Words Under the Words by Naomi Shihab Nye, Thirst by Mary Oliver, Otherwise by Jane Kenyon, Carnival Evening by Linda Pastan, Sailing Alone Around the Room by Billy Collins, Ghost Radio by Dick Lourie, Love Poems from God translated by Daniel Ladinsky.

I'm reminded of the poetry of living and the pure joy of reading, outloud to a loved one, the words of another poet finding her way in the world. May your day be touched by the rhythm of poetry.

Adios by Naomi Shihab Nye

It is a good word, rolling off the tongue
no matter what language you were born with.
Use it. Learn where it begins,
the small alphabet of departure,
how long it takes to think of it,
then say it, then be heard.

Marry it. More than any golden ring,
it shines, it shines.
Wear it on every finger
till your hands dance,
touching everything easily,
letting everything, easily go.

Strap it to your back like wings.
Or a kite-tail. The stream of air behind a jet.
If you are known for anything,
let it be the way you rise out of sight
when your work is finished.

Think of things that linger, leaves,
cartons and napkins, the damp smell of mold.

Think of things that disappear.

Think of what you love best,
what brings tears into your eyes.

Something that said adios to you
before you knew what it meant
or how long it was for.

Explain little, the word explains itself.
Later perhaps. Lessons following lessons,
like silence following sound.

it was so cold ...

"I was so cold the other day, I almost got married." ~ Shelley Winters

Damn, I can relate! My feet are permanently frozen these days; c'mon, springtime!

peace & love

an open letter to Oprah Winfrey

Dear Oprah,

One of my favorite parts of O, the Magazine is the column in which folks share their aha moments. I get it that you're friends with lots of famous people, but we mere mortals have those very same moments, and we'd love to tell you about them.

So in preparation for when you'd like me to tell mine, I'm putting my column together. I'm just a tweet, poke, email or phone call away. Thanks for the awesome magazine and keep on keepin' on, my sister.

Peace & love,
 Patty

* * * *

OK, dear readers. Let's get ready—I'm sure Oprah will be in touch soon. Next Thursday I'll share one of my aha-moment stories here. Will you share yours too? I hope so!

flirtin' with disaster

With my tax refund I bought a new couch. It’s the mothership of couches and measures 102 inches in length. No, I didn’t measure the entryway of my home before purchasing, nor did anyone at the store ask me to tell them I live on the third floor of a building when we sealed the deal. Pity Casey and Chris (the delivery men). Here’s their story.

The guys arrived yesterday to deliver the couch. As I greeted them with a chipper ‘good morning, how are you?,’ Chris says ‘tired.’ I’m the first stop of their day, and I feel certain the rest of their day got a whole lot easier when they left here.

They were pretty sure the couch wouldn’t fit in the front door of my condo, but bless their hearts they hauled it up the three flights of stairs and tried. No luck.

Chris says, we can hoist it up over your balcony (remember I’m on the third floor), but you’ll have to sign a waiver saying we’re not responsible for what may happen. The conversation goes like this:

Me: Have you ever hoisted a couch?
Chris: Yes.
Me: Have you ever dropped one?
Chris: (without hesitation) Yes.

This is the view over my balcony at the couch as it hangs outside my downstairs’ neighbors balcony. We had to run out onto their balcony to try and push it away from snagging. Meanwhile, Chris is upstairs hanging on for dear life.

Chris is laughing at me because I’m snapping pictures like a nut case. I mean, do I really want a photo of my new couch in splinters on the ground? (Get out of the man’s way, Patty!)

With the couch balanced on the balcony railing I'm praying they ate their Wheaties for breakfast because it would be a heart breaker to watch it tip off, like the fully loaded sleigh the Grinch holds on the top of Mt. Crumpet. But they found the strength of 10 Grinches, plus two.

Success! The couch is on the balcony and is quickly set in place in my living room. Chris and Casey are both laughing and high on the endorphins generated by the danger, physical labor and success. They are my heroes!

I love the new couch—it’s gigantic and I foresee many a comfy nap in my future. Chris and Casey had no idea when they arrived what an adventure they'd have, nor do they probably understand how much I appreciate their tenacity and hard work. Thanks, guys.

here's to peace & love & comfy couches

a shrine to love

If this photo were a love sun, we'd be blinded by the intensity. Valentine’s Day just passed and admittedly I often feel like the day has become one more opportunity for meaningless consumerism. Isn’t every day a day for us to tell those who are special to us that we love them? Does it take flowers or chocolate or Hallmark greetings – no.

Yes, this year I got to take part in the romantic kind of love. RT, a guy who’s been a friend for more than a year has become more than a friend; we’re enjoying the excitement and possibility of a new romance and it feels great.

But look a little closer at this photo, because there’s even more love represented, and it’s equally as heartwarming:

1. The tiny photo between the one of me & RT and the gorgeous flowers he gave me Saturday is of Sparky. Sparky was the first pet Megan had and we loved that crabby little cat. He died unexpectedly many years ago right before Christmas day. It was heartbreaking to lose that love but we can now remember his persnickety ways with laughter.

2. On the other side of the flowers, tucked between the flowers and the card is a blue-green box. My little sister gave this to me for my birthday a few years ago. She knows me and she knows how I love containers. Each time I see it I’m reminded of our love for one another.

3. To the right of the card you can see just the edge of a photo of my daughter and her husband. It was taken a few summers ago, at the Newport Aquarium. That snapshot takes me back to that entire day and the laughter and the love—mine for them, theirs for one another, theirs for me.

4. Behind all of this are five letters covered in kraft paper, bearing well wishes from my prayer posse.
P-E-A-C-E … each letter bears testament to the love I am blessed to be showered in by so many amazing people. They stood by me (and helped carry me) through the toughest battle of my life a few years ago.

If Valentine’s Day passed without any romantic love in your life, fear not. There’s so much more love to be had that if you open your heart to it you won’t even miss the flowers or chocolate or Hallmark greetings.

Peace & love

traveling mercies

Anne Lamott taught me to wish those embarking on a journey traveling mercies. (Notice how I say Anne's name as if we were sitting over coffee in some funky independent bookstore chatting about our writing and our lives when she taught me that phrase? It's a dream, I tell 'ya, that one day will come true!) If you've never read any of her work, check out Bird by Bird and Operating Instructions. She's a recovering addict who has the gifts of honesty and hilarity in huge doses. But I digress.

As I type, my sister Cathy is on her way westward on a train to California. Cathy is 58 years old and has never been further west than Antigo, Wisconsin, because she will not fly. Period. But because she's currently unemployed (laid off after nearly 30 years at the same company), and because she misses our niece Ally more than words can say, she's gathered the courage to travel on her own to California where our other sister and her family lives.

As the hours go by and I go about my days and nights (it will take 48 hours or so for Cathy to arrive in San Francisco), I'm praying that she meets with traveling mercies. I'm also feeling a bit of wanderlust myself. Perhaps there's a journey in my future?

What about you? Traveling? Tell me about it, and of course I wish you traveling mercies.

peace & love

pray for the fools

It's always easy for me to pray for a child stricken with an illness, a friend who's lost a job, a couple embarking on a marriage, the safe arrival of a new baby. It's not always so easy to pray for the criminals who harm children, the leaders who slaughter their own people, the angry souls who lash out an innocents ... and those afflicted with a life-threatening case of stupidity.

What were these people thinking? or drinking?

The Ottawa County Sheriff said: "I have no problem with people ice fishing, but these idiots should realize that when you see open water, you should not build a bridge and cross it," he said. "It's a shame you can't arrest people for stupidity."

Today I'm going to practice praying for those souls that seem less deserving in my humble opinion. For doing that which is difficult will help me grow into the woman God intends me to be. (WTF were they thinking though?!)

Peace & love

everybody’s doin’ it

Or … 25 Random Things About Me (as if you don’t already know enough already). When this little request lands on your FB page it’s couched in the form of a question, as if your friend that tagged you wants to truly know you better. Methinks it started because someone wanted to talk about himself and figured he better soften the presentation or it would go nowhere. (Yes, the snow is making me cynical.)

I’ve been tagged by friends both close and casual, and because it’s too frickin’ cold to go anywhere tonight, and because I don’t have a decent book to read, here are my 25 random things:

1. I was born to a Romanian mother and a Kentucky hillbilly father who met in Italy, about five years after WWII, where he was stationed with the US Army and she had been sent by her parents for safety during the war.

2. I am the third of four children and did not have a happy childhood (but I’ve recovered nicely, thank you).

3. I have something of a photographic memory.

4. I live in the same small, Midwestern town in which I was born.

5. Other countries I’ve visited: Italy (saw the Vatican, Monte Casino and Pompeii), Germany (saw the Olympic Village in Muenich), Switzerland, Mexico, Canada and Rabbit Hash, Kentucky.

6. I am friends still with my first playmate (Susan); she was born three months after me and we grew up next door to one another.

7. Except for a brief desire to be a dancer in second grade, I have always wanted to be a writer. I’m blessed to do work that I love.

8. I graduated a year early from high school and attended only one dance in my high-school career (not prom).

9. I skipped the commencement ceremonies.

10. I am a free spirit and believe in the power of peace and love.

11. Yes, I’ve been married but am no longer. No, I’m not going into the details. (I’m not bitter, but the details are just too hard to believe.)

12. I’ve been a mother for more than half my life.

13. I’m happiest when I’m: with Megan, writing, gardening, drinking coffee on Sunday morning, in the woods or practicing yoga.

14. I don’t drink alcohol anymore. I’m allergic to it—I break out in stupidity.

15. I have been deeply loved.

16. My dream car is a ’69 Chevelle SS (black).

17. I cried the first time I left Sedona, Arizona after a week’s vacation there. Did. Not. Want. To. Leave.

18. I am a Stephen Minister.

19. Practicing yoga in Hawaii with my niece is one of my favorite memories.

20. I hate to cook. If I could afford it I’d hire a personal chef.

21. I believe we either choose to operate from fear or love. I choose love.

22. One year my new year’s resolution was to develop a sense of humor.

23. Sleeping until 9:00 a.m. is late.

24. I have a thing for old barns and churches. I’d love to renovate one to live in.

25. I lack the patience gene.

peace out

bumper sticker wisdom

Coexist

Wage Peace

Somewhere in Texas a village is missing its idiot. (No longer true but funny all the same.)

1.20.09 - the end of an error (OK, I'm stepping away from the political madness.)

Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History

Jesus is Coming and He's Pissed

The earth is my church; my body its alter (on a yoga instructor's hybrid).

Maybe the hokey-pokey IS what it's all about?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Wishing you laughter and love today. peace out